— 104 — 



The principle of Strache's method remains. For the purpose of 

 absorbing the benzene formed, a mixture of molecular quantities sul- 

 phuric acid and nitric acid was found to be very suitable. The method 

 is briefly as follows: In a boiling flask (750 to 1000 cc.) with a stopper 

 provided with 3 holes, are inserted a supply tube for the carbonic 

 acid, a separating funnel, reaching almost to the bottom, with its end 

 bent round, and a Liebig's condenser placed obliquely upwards. 

 To this is joined a bulb -shaped absorption tube bent first straight 

 down, and then slantingly upwards, then, connected by means of a 

 washing bottle, a Schiff's azotometer. After mixing 0,1 to 0,5 g. of 

 the substance in a 100 cc. flask with a measured quantity of 5 per 

 cent, phenyl hydrazin and i 1 ^ times the quantity of 10 per cent, 

 sodium acetate, diluting with water to about 50 cc, heating for 15 minutes 

 on a water bath, the flask after cooling is filled up to the mark. The 

 air in the apparatus has been displaced by carbonic acid, and 10 cc. 

 of the phenyl hydrazin solution are now made up with sodium acetate 

 and water to 100 cc; 50 cc. are admitted through the separating funnel 

 into the boiling flask containing 200 cc. Fehling's solution, by means 

 of which operation the quantity of nitrogen evolved by the phenyl hydrazin 

 is d termined. Next the principal test is made with the substance; each cc 

 difference of N in both determinations equals 1,252 mg. CO. 



Whether this modified Strache's method will be more largely 

 employed than the original one can only be proved by a thorough 

 further test of its practical applicability. 



E. Beckmann 1 ) has jointly with Danckwortt worked out a new 

 method for testing spices and similar substances, according to 

 which the object under examination is extracted with a suitable solvent 

 and the quantity of the substance dissolved determined on the basis 

 of the increase of the boiling point, or the lowering of the freezing 

 point. For the examination of spices the solvent which has answered 

 best is ethylene bromide. The extracts from 5 g. of the spice in 

 question with 30 g. ethylene bromide, showed the following depressions: 

 anise o,8°; mace (Banda) 2,46°; cloves (dry) 2,18°; cloves (moist) 2,24°; 

 pepper (white) 0,87°; mustard (black) 0,58°. Moist spices (comp. cloves) 

 show therefore a larger depression; the water -content consequently 

 exerts a certain, though only slight influence. If the method is to be 

 applied to the estimation of the essential oil in aromatic 

 waters, the latter are extracted with ethylene bromide, and the above- 

 named constants are ascertained on the one hand in pure ethylene 

 bromide, on the other in the ethylene bromide used in the extraction. 

 It should be noted that any alcohol present must be removed by 

 shaking the ethylene bromide solution with water, and that the maximum 



*) Pharm. Zeitg. 51 (1906), 502, 513, 



